Wednesday, May 30, 2012

For those of us who juggle ____, ____ & _____ (Fill in the blank.), it can give you that shot in the arm, that sense of satisfaction, that scene full of possibility you can continue to mull over when Life calls & you have to quit to ______, ______, or _______. (Fill in the blank.)

http://sallybosco.wordpress.com/photos/

Fellow writer Sally Bosco has it all down in print. She'll be teaching a workshop on binge writing at the Seton Hill University “In Your Write Mind” writing conference June 21-24, 2012. In preparation she interviewed several authors who admit to plowing through the process of transferring that scene in your head to the words on the page.

Shelley Adina's Trilogy Magnificent Devices yanks us into steampunk London. She uses real streets but "my heroine's experience of them is fantasy.... she breaks a mad scientist out of Bedlam~~which was the Bethlehem Hospital in its old location near St. George's fields. I found a floor plan on line and she broke in near the cold baths that they plunged the poor 'unfortunates' into in real life."

~~Another planet, another century,

another country or three blocks over~~

It's in your head, now hit the keys or grip the pen.Create your own system; keep it at your fingertips.

❉ In a single paragraph Describe broad settings: fictitious, real or combination?

This happens when you make those characters three dimensional. Heros need weaknesses; villains need strengths.

You need to know how they got that way.

From their grammar & speech patterns to their philosophies, the ethnic, socio-economic, physical and emotional backgrounds you devise should~~must~~affect your characters as they make their way through your story.

A fraction of this information should/will wind up in print. (Beware the dreaded info dump, but that's another blog.) Instead you want it filling your imagination as you create fully formed characters. Then when the Martians land, the will is read, the prom date arrives an hour late, your reader is right there in the scene, breathless with anticipation. NOT shrugging in an armchair muttering, "What the heck, he'd never do that."

Create a character sheet for every important member of your novel. List, manipulate, design the cast you're about to bring to life.

For one thing,

these preliminaries save you time

in the long run.

For another,

it's a lot more fun than actually

writing the book.

~~Some suggestions to get you started~~

Full name & significance, if any

Full names of parents & significance, if any

Occupations of parents

Go back another generation. Include grandparents

Family dynamics: Two parents? One? Which one?

Siblings & ages, order within the family

Religious affiliation, if any

Full physical description

Education: Name & location of schools, K-thru whatever. Public or private? If private, day or boarding?

Economic background: Old Money, New Money, No Money?

Incidentals: hobbies, pastimes, allergies, cravings

Whether your character works against the background you’ve devised or reflects it in stereotypical detail, you’ve provided a solid frame on which to weave voice, behavior, attitude and goals as you hook your reader with their tale you’re telling.

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About Me

I write.
30 books have made it into print, beginning with my agent's simultaneous sale of my YA mystery SOMETHING OUT THERE and adult romance A TOUCH OF SCANDAL. I'm back in the fray with the eBook launch of THE CHICK PALACE.
I teach.
As adjunct faculty, I run critique workshops and mentor students in the MFA Writing Popular Fiction program of Seton Hill University. (The only genre fiction MFA in North America)
I consult.
On the side I critique & edit manuscripts for aspiring writers.
With a degree in art and an early background in advertising and fundraising copy & design, I've got other irons in the fire, too.